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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436432">Falling Faster</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GEGabriels/pseuds/GEGabriels'>GEGabriels</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Les Misérables - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Combeferre is the Best Brother Ever, Gavroche is E and R's son, Gen, M/M, Valentine's Day</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:35:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GEGabriels/pseuds/GEGabriels</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been one year, since Grantaire went into a coma. One year, since Enjolras was basically left a single father. One year of everything spiralling downward. </p><p>Only Combeferre can fix it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Combeferre &amp; Enjolras (Les Misérables), Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Falling Faster</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarricadeBois24601/gifts">BarricadeBois24601</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Ding</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ding</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ding</em>
</p><p>Enjolras ignored the sounds coming from his phone, as he rolled over in bed. He had been laying in bed almost the entire day, in sort of a restless sleep. He knew he had to get out of bed soon, and face the day. It was nearly 4:00 pm, according to his alarm clock. Enjolras groaned, unburying himself from his blankets, and staring at himself in the mirror across from the bed. His blonde curls were a tangled mess, and he was wearing a green sweater, that was way too large for him. It was one of Grantaire's. He forced himself out of bed, wincing, as his feet touched the cool wooden floorboards of his room. There was a pile of Les Amis work on his desk that he really needed to finish. But he didn't have the energy. He exited his room, not bothering to change, as he nearly tripped over a toy truck on his way into the living room. There were clothes all over the floor, that he had put aside to fold, and had forgotten about. He didn't bother to enter the kitchen. The amount of dirty dishes piled there would have made him even more depressed. The cat peeked out at him from under the couch, her green eyes glowing eerily, and he walked over to the corner, taking the cat food bag, and dumping it out onto the floor. Who cared that little bits of cat food would get into the carpet? That was the least of his problems. He knew she'd been going outside of the litter box, but he didn't care to find the messes she'd left. Enjolras leaned against the wall, running his hand down his face, and sighing deeply. He swallowed tears, refusing to let them fall. He had done enough crying to last a lifetime already. He could hear his phone ding from his room again, and he didn't go over to answer it. He simply didn't care. The door to the apartment swung open, suddenly, and Gavroche sauntered in, the nine-year-old dropping his backpack on the ground, along with his green jacket.</p><p>"Hey, bud," Enjolras said, faking a smile. Gavroche grinned, not seeming to mind the mess, as he made his way across the room, leaning against the wall next to Enjolras, mimicking everything, including the crossed arms, and solemn expression. Gavroche and Enjolras met each other's eyes, and Gavroche burst out laughing,</p><p>"You have a weird face, Papa!" Enjolras raised an eyebrow,</p><p>"Glad you find that so amusing. How was school?" Gavroche grinned, flopping down on the couch,</p><p>"Great! I gave a Valentines day card to Clementine! She's the prettiest girl ever!" Enjolras nodded, about to sit down on the floor, but quickly stopping himself from doing so, as he noticed how dirty it was. Gavroche pulled the cat out from under the couch, hugging her, while Enjolras spoke up once more,</p><p>"That's good. I did… Something?" Gavroche dropped the cat, crossing his arms, and giving Enjolras a dubious look,</p><p>"You just stayed in bed all day, didn't you?"</p><p>"...Yeah." Gavroche shrugged,</p><p>"That's alright. Especially today, I guess," he looked around the room, at the mess, before tugging on the scarf that was wrapped around his neck, "I showed off my scarf for show and tell today! Dad made it, y'know? Last year." Enjolras gave Gavroche a pained nod, staring at the yellow scarf,</p><p>"V-very nice, Gav. Did the school send you home with anything?" Gavroche nodded, turning his head towards his backpack.</p><p>"I have food, Papa. You need food too, y'know?" Enjolras ignored him, staring at the wall instead, Gavroche sighing, and dragging his backpack off into his room, closing the door behind him, after opening it briefly to let the cat scurry in. Enjolras let out a dark chuckle, at nothing in particular, and growled, as his phone dinged. Again. Who the frick was texting him?! Why couldn't they just leave him to be depressed alone?! Enjolras looked up at the calendar hanging on the wall. Tears pricked in his eyes, as he saw the date, and he wiped them away. Then, there was a loud knock on the door. Enjolras froze. No one ever bothered to come to the apartment. He quietly walked over to Gavroche's door, opening it slightly,</p><p>"Don't make any noise," he hissed, Gavroche giving him a wide-eyed look, and a yawn. Enjolras ran out of the room, closing the door behind him, and shoving the couch in front of it for good measure, before grabbing a knife from the kitchen, and walking up to the door, waiting for whoever was at the other end to break it down. Nothing happened. The knocking just continued. Enjjolras wasn't actually being paranoid, he had already been on the receiving end of multiple attacks, and maybe he wouldn't care, if it was just him. But he had a kid, too. And he wouldn't let anything happen to Gavroche. Hesitantly, Enjolras opened the door. He really needed a peephole on the door. He froze, as he saw who it was.</p><p>"Enjolras?" Enjolras leaned against the wall, doing everything he could to not sink to his knees,</p><p>"Ferre?" He asked, Combeferre giving him a warm, but concerned smile. "Why… Why are you here?" Enjolras asked, "everything's alright, right?!" Combeferre let out a small laugh, smoothing his hand through his short black hair,</p><p>"For me, yes, but I doubt that's the case for you." Combeferre pushed past Enjolras, staring out into the living room, "...Jesus christ."</p><p>"I-I've been doing my best… Everything's just so hard -" Enjolras began, on the verge of tears. Combeferre pressed a hand to Enjolras's cheek,</p><p>"I know, E. You should have asked me for help sooner… This… How long has the place been like this?! Enjolras, you have a nine-year-old, you can't just -"</p><p>"I KNOW!" Enjolras shouted, immediately regretting it. Combeferre sighed,</p><p>"Enj, go get Gavroche, I'm going to see what I can do." Enjolras blinked,</p><p>"You just barge into my house, on Valentine's Day, no less, to clean?! Don't you have stuff to be doing with Courf anyways?"</p><p>"Courf's got a work meeting out of town, and Azelma's at a friends house for the weekend" Combeferre said, "so… No. And even if they weren't, I'd still be here." Enjolras sighed, as Combeferre walked back over to the front door, picking up three bags, which were sitting in the doorway.</p><p>"What's in the bags?" Enjolras asked, Combeferre setting one down on the table, after sweeping books and papers off with an arm,</p><p>"Cleaning supplies in this one…" He said, setting the middle bag down, "food." Enjolras gave him a look,</p><p>"This isn't necessary," Combeferre glared at him,</p><p>"Oh, I think it is." Combeferre set the last bag down, giving Enjolras an even sterner look, "medication. There." Enjolras sighed, as Combeferre began looking through the cleaning supplies bag, "well, we might as well start here - Why is Gavroche's doorway blocked by a couch?" Enjolras bit his lip,</p><p>"Um, this isn't the best apartment." Combeferre sighed, as Enjolras made his way over to the couch, pushing it back into position, before opening the door. Gavroche was nowhere in sight, and Enjolras knew he would never find him, "Gav? Gavroche, buddy, it's alright," he gently said, fearful eyes peeking out at him from the top shelf in the closet. Gavroche slowly climbed down,</p><p>"Who was it, Papa, did you fight em'?!" He asked excitedly, punching at an imaginary enemy in the air. Enjolras laughed,</p><p>"No. Just Combeferre." Gavroche blinked,</p><p>"Oh. Why's he here?" Enjolras shrugged,</p><p>"Something about cleaning." Gavroche smiled brightly,</p><p>"Actual cleaning?!" Enjolras nodded, Gavroche skipping out of the room, and making his way over to Combeferre, "happy Valentine's Day!" He shouted, Combeferre smiling, though it quickly turned into a frown, as he leaned over, wiping away a smear of dirt on Gavroche's cheek,</p><p>"...Why are you covered in mud?" Gavroche beamed,</p><p>"I was playing with my worm friends last week!" Enjolras nodded, swallowing,</p><p>"...And we've had conversations about why we don't play with worm friends," he added, so that Combeferre wouldn't think that he was an entirely horrible parent. Combeferre looked around the room, before staring down at the floor,</p><p>"Okay, let's start with sweeping and mopping, so we can put stuff on the floor in the first place… We're going to need a lot of trash bags…" And that was how the next six hours went. At ten pm, Enjolras gave the cleaned apartment a satisfied look, the cat bumping his legs, seeming to share his feelings. Gavroche sat next to Combeferre on the now cleaned couch, Combeferre going over his homework with him, something cooking in the kitchen. Enjolras leaned back against the wall, light-headed. The cat gave him a strange look, before bounding away, as Enjolras fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Combeferre stood up, calmly walking over, and lifting him up, laying him down on the couch. "Your body's weak," Combeferre said, slightly judgmentally, "rest." Enjolras stared up at the ceiling, his hands fidgeting together, before he finally closed his eyes, instantly drifting off, despite having been sleeping most of the day before. He was woken up in the middle of the night, to the cat meowing in his ear. Combeferre was asleep on the other side of the couch, and Gavroche was probably in his bedroom. The cat jumped down from his chest, running over to the dusty door, in the corner of the room, that Enjolras hadn't touched in over a year. She somehow pushed it open with a paw, darting inside. Enjolras jumped to his feet, running after her, and into the room, his throat constricting the second he stepped foot inside. He was surrounded by colors. Sitting in front of him, on an easel, was a painting. There was Enjolras, Gavroche sitting in his lap, while.. Grantaire sat beside them. Grantaire. Enjolras hadn't gone to visit Grantaire in three months. Enjolras's life had slowly been shattering into pieces for the entire year, and hope grew increasingly less every passing day. Enjolras, for the second time that day, fell down to his knees. He began sobbing, fat tears rushing down his cheeks, and dripping down onto Grantaire's sweater. Enjolras's cries turned so violent that he struggled to breathe in between, and he could almost feel his throat closing in on itself. Then, there were warm, comforting arms, being wrapped around him, and he twisted his head around slightly, to see Combeferre.</p><p>"<em>Deep breaths,</em>" Combeferre whispered, rubbing at Enjolras's chest with his hand. Enjolras finally sucked air into his lungs, and went limp in Combeferre's grasp,</p><p>"He's dead, he's dead, he's going to die," Enjolras whimpered, wiping at his wet cheeks with the back of his hand. Combeferre held Enjolras close to him,</p><p>"He's not dead, E, he's still breathing. He's still in there, somewhere." Enjolras sniffled,</p><p>"That officer was coming for me," he whispered, "it should've been me, why did he push me away?!" Combeferre rocked Enjolras back and forth, the cat watching them from the corner of the room.</p><p>"Because Grantaire loves you, Enjolras." Enjolras began crying again, and Combeferre helped him to his feet, leading him into his bedroom. Enjolras's phone suddenly dinged from the nightstand, and with shaking hands, Enjolras picked it up.</p><p>
  <em>On this day, one year ago…</em>
</p><p>Enjolras stared at the picture that showed up. Enjolras and Grantaire, before the protest. Smiling. Happy. Gavroche was balanced on Grantaire's shoulders. Last Valentines Day felt like a lifetime ago. Being happy felt like a lifetime ago. Combeferre sat down on the now clean floor, while Enjolras curled up under his blankets in bed.</p><p>"You're not financially stable, are you?" Combeferre randomly asked, Enjolras peeking out from under the covers, giving Combeferre a shocked look,</p><p>"How do you know?!" Combeferre sighed,</p><p>"I've known since you stopped taking T." Enjolras tried not to cry anymore, and said in a shaky voice,</p><p>"I-I don't know what to do. I got f-fired from my job, and R's been in a coma for a year, so he's pretty obviously not working. I can b-barely afford groceries, and no one will hire me, and I'm about to be kicked out of this apartment because I can't pay rent… And god, the medical bills are so, so expensive." He whispered, before pausing, "I… I have a question."</p><p>"Yes?" Combeferre said.</p><p>"Would you mind taking Gavroche after we get evicted?" Enjolras asked hesitantly, "I know, I'm asking a lot, I'll figure out some way to try and pay for his expenses, but please, I don't want him to be homeless ever again… I understand if you can't -" Combeferre pressed a hand to Enjolras's mouth,</p><p>"Of course I will, E. And I'm taking you too." Enjolras smiled,</p><p>"Thank you. Why are you helping me?"</p><p>"You remember three years ago, when Courf got really sick?" Enjolras nodded, "you basically saved my life. I didn't know how I was going to look after Azelma, and the house, and be the sole income provider for the family, for a while. Then y came over, and helped with the cleaning, and the medical bills, and everything. And you told me, when I asked the same question, 'that's what brothers are for.' So that's your answer. That's what brothers are for," Combeferre whispered. Enjolras smiled, curling up into Combeferre's chest,</p><p>"Happy Valentines Day, big brother." Combeferre smiled,</p><p>"Happy Valentines Day, little brother." They lay there peacefully, for a few minutes, before Enjolras's phone rang. He held it up, inhaling sharply, as he saw that it was the hospital calling him. His heart thudded inside his chest, as he spoke,</p><p>"Y-yes?"</p><p>"<em>...Mr. Enjolras? Your husband's awake.</em>"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was written for my amazing older brother Sebastian, or BarricadeBois24601. Gavroche in fact is Enjolras and Grantaire's kid in here, because this is based of of a universe the two of us have been working on, that should be published soon.</p><p>Thanks for reading, feel free to tell me what you think, and happy Valentine's Day!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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